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hobbithopeful's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I never thought a book about a diverse boy band would have so much depth and discussions on race, sexuality, and what it means to be gay. I thoroughly enjoyed this way more than I thought I would, even though I did have trouble at time differentiating characters who didn't get as much on page time. There isn't a single topic that gets brought up in the book that misses the mark, everything about the way boy bands are weirdly expected to be pure and get stereotyped, and how being queer is treated in the entertainment industry. (and really everywhere!)
I do have some sus theories about the queer country artist that Hunter meets, I wish we had seen a little more of him. There were a few other threads that seemed to kind of just get dropped with how the seemingly quickly the book ended, I wish we had more from some of the characters.
A short read about the the importance of staying true to who you are, and not being ashamed.
I recommend this book!
I do have some sus theories about the queer country artist that Hunter meets, I wish we had seen a little more of him. There were a few other threads that seemed to kind of just get dropped with how the seemingly quickly the book ended, I wish we had more from some of the characters.
A short read about the the importance of staying true to who you are, and not being ashamed.
I recommend this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Homophobia, Racism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual content
bookwormbi's review against another edition
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I really really hate to give authors of color negative reviews, esp queer authors of color, but I just cannot express enough how upset this book made me. I never believed in Hunter and Kaivan as a couple. There was not a lot of development in their relationship and honestly I don’t think I know enough about Kaivan to really say whether I think they’d be good together. It all felt very instalovey, ESPECIALLY WHEN we saw those interviews where Kaivan was repeatedly insulting Kiss & Tell for no reason </spolier> I was also really surprised at how underutilized most of the characters of color are? I could barely tell Ethan, Ian, and Owen apart (their similar names did not help) and I don’t believe that these 5 are each other’s best friends. I believe Ashton and Hunter’s friendship, but it really doesn’t seem like he even knows the other 3 that well. And honestly, I would have loved to hear from Kamran and Karim!!! I think that could have helped develop Kaivan a little more in addition to just fleshing out the world. I don’t know, the whole thing felt underdone at best and legitimately harmful at worst. like I’m so sorry what MESSAGE does it send to teenagers that Hunter ends up forgiving Aidan? That’s honestly so messed up. Overall, while I could definitely see what Khorram was trying to do with this, I ultimately wasn’t compelled by it. Also, literally BEGGING YA authors to discover the new adult genre and age up their characters to fit the plotlines.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
pucksandpaperbacks's review against another edition
Content Warnings: Queer and racial microaggressions, racism, f-slur on page, homophobia, sexual content, mention of dieting and calorie counting, underage drinking, sports injury, alcoholism.
I devoured this book like I was eating a plate of poutine. Kiss & Tell is an excellent commentary on sports injuries, kids being thrown into the public eye with no support or resources, and the way the public scrutinizes young queer celebrities; especially gay men. But it doesn’t shy away from the important topics of the way POC are treated in the music industry.
Our main character, Hunter Drake is a 17-year-old boy from Vancouver, BC, a Canucks fan, and a drummer. While on tour with his band, Kiss & Tell, made up of his best friends; Ian, Ashton, Ethan, and Owen, and grieving the loss of his dead and fresh heartbreak, Hunter quickly realizes he’s taking on too much. As he agrees to stage a fake dating with Kaivan, a boy in their opener, PAR-K; an Iranian-American band of brothers, in an attempt at damage control after a controversy strikes.
Hunter is in over his head when The Label demands he dress a certain way and act more feminine to sell the image. The book is a great commentary on how intense the music industry can be. Hunter is a messy character who is self-centered but as his racial biases are checked, he begins to grow. I love how Khorram shows Hunter as a messy boy who holds in his feelings until he explodes and doesn’t give him a pass when his privilege is showing.
Kiss & Tell hit all the right chords and doesn’t shy away from the reality of being a teenage boy. The book is sex positive and open about gay sex and men’s mental health. I had such a fun time reading this book. I highly recommend it! I do hope this isn’t the last we see of Kiss & Tell because I would love to read more books about the other characters because the boys were so much fun to read.
As a hockey fan and someone who grew up in the One Direction fandom era, this was such a treat!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Queer and racial microaggressions, racism, f-slur on page, homophobia, sexual content, mention of dieting and calorie counting, underage drinking, sports injury, alcoholism.ginkansas's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Islamophobia, and Sexual harassment
lim's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Gaslighting
Moderate: Homophobia and Toxic friendship
Minor: Racism and Islamophobia
shybookstagramer's review against another edition
4.0
gay boy band romance, what else is there to say? I really enjoyed this book and I loved the characters and the storyline. I thought that all the difficult topics that were brought up throughout the story were tackled beautifully. There was definitely a lot of passion and thought put into this story and it really shows.
I thought the addition of different format styles was great, besides the normal story, there was documentary transcripts, interview transcripts, articles, texting chat logs. It was a unique way to tell the story and I liked it.
content warning: mention of the death of a parent, cyberbullying/online harassment, homophobia, racism, sexual content, toxic relationship
I thought the addition of different format styles was great, besides the normal story, there was documentary transcripts, interview transcripts, articles, texting chat logs. It was a unique way to tell the story and I liked it.
content warning: mention of the death of a parent, cyberbullying/online harassment, homophobia, racism, sexual content, toxic relationship
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Racism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent
arireadsitall's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
parasolcrafter's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
this book SUCKED you guys dont even know how glad i am to be finished with it. my god.
the characters are underdeveloped and some hinge solely on stereotypes, a couple are barely there (like why were owen and especially ian there so scarcely??? makes no sense!!!) despite the fact that the book focuses on a boy band who are all, seemingly, best friends, and overall none of them are all that likeable. hunter is a self-obsessed boy who seems to think the world revolves around the fact that hes a bottom (did the author think if he didnt mention the fact that hunter is a bottom in every chapter that we'd forget??? made me so mad. shut up about it.), kaivan is okay but has almost no personality, aidan is the stereotypical bitter ex, and ashton is just...there. nothing of note really happens in the book either...? like it doesnt break any ground. doesnt do anything new. doesnt really pose any questions about society. it was all so shallow
the characters are underdeveloped and some hinge solely on stereotypes, a couple are barely there (like why were owen and especially ian there so scarcely??? makes no sense!!!) despite the fact that the book focuses on a boy band who are all, seemingly, best friends, and overall none of them are all that likeable. hunter is a self-obsessed boy who seems to think the world revolves around the fact that hes a bottom (did the author think if he didnt mention the fact that hunter is a bottom in every chapter that we'd forget??? made me so mad. shut up about it.), kaivan is okay but has almost no personality, aidan is the stereotypical bitter ex, and ashton is just...there. nothing of note really happens in the book either...? like it doesnt break any ground. doesnt do anything new. doesnt really pose any questions about society. it was all so shallow
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Fatphobia and Death of parent
achay91's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Xenophobia
Moderate: Cursing and Sexual content
almckay's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Racism